Israeli troops launched targeted operations in southern Lebanon on Monday as the army widened its campaign against Hezbollah ahead of a possible ground invasion.
Israel’s ground operation in southern Lebanon will likely expand in the coming days, a source told the Telegraph, suggesting Israel wanted to strike while they believe Hezbollah is weakened.
An Israeli official added that elite commandos were targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, including weapons sites and command and control centres, in a bid to push its fighters away from Israel’s northern border.
Speaking on Monday, Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy leader, said the group was “ready for a ground incursion”, despite suffering significant losses in recent weeks, including Hassan Nasrallah, its long-term leader, in an Israeli strike on Beirut on Friday.
An Israeli intelligence source told the Telegraph that Israel is moving quickly in the wake of Nasrallah’s assassination in an attempt to leverage its advantage. “The question now is what the US will do, and I just hope the US doesn’t get involved and pull us back,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Yoav Gallant, the defence minister, strongly hinted that Israeli troops would invade Lebanon. “We will use all of our capabilities – including you,” Mr Gallant told soldiers on the northern border with Lebanon on Monday.